Custom Tuplet Ratios

Dorico
1

Hello!

I’m wondering if it is possible to change the note value in the second number of a tuplet ratio? Instead of it showing as 7:4 thirty seconds as it does below , I’d like it to show up as 7:eighth note, if that makes sense. The need for this sort of thing isn’t so clear in the picture, but over the course of the section it would be helpful if I could show the tuplet ratio to values other than the value of the note itself.

Is this possible at this point?

Screen Shot 2022-12-26 at 11.32.08 AM
Screen Shot 2022-12-26 at 11.32.08 AM1073×312 9.89 KB

Thank you!

2

So you want it to express “7 (whatever) notes in the space of one eighth note”?

  1. Tuplets do not normally indicate that (although that is how we think of this figure, musically). The total value is evident by the note value and the denominator: four 32nds = 1 eighth. One can also tell from the rhythmic value left over by the rest of the notes in the bar – easy to see in this case.
  2. Dorico will only make tuplet ratios of the same note value. It could be 7:8 64ths instead of 7:4 32nds. Either way, just a “7” is sufficient for this simple example.
4

Hi Mark - thanks for the response. I just used this particular example to get the point across - in other parts in the piece, it gets a little more confusing (see below) and, given that all the tuplets fit either into an eighth, quarter, dotted quarter, or half note (even if they sometimes go over the abrline), I’m trying to see if I can indicate that from the get-go rather having them do an (what seems to me) extra step of interpretation.

Screen Shot 2022-12-26 at 12.29.07 PM

5

Sometimes in scores I have seen [♪] or the like above a tuplet group to indicate the total value.

6

i just finished this score and didn’t use numbers or brackets in many places where the division is obvious 4/4 -
most (i generalize i know) players will understand the division and number of notes needed to get to the next beat - extra verbiage seems to be unnecessary :grinning:

Screenshot 2022-12-26 at 12.33.03 PM
Screenshot 2022-12-26 at 12.33.03 PM1630×834 79 KB

7

At the risk of asking a dumb question, how did you type that eighth note in as a part of the comment?

8

It’s U+266A, in the “Miscellaneous Symbols” range of Unicode (not part of SMuFL).

Of course in Dorico you can get a much better-looking eighth note with the music character picker. (This was just for the forum.)